It generally takes a year or more between submitting an application and entering medical/vet/dental/PA/etc. school. This timeline means that students who wish to enroll in professional school immediately after graduation must complete all required coursework by the end of their junior year, and applications must be submitted during the summer after their junior year. See below for sample timelines
Year One:
- Begin taking required coursework
- Ask faculty from your courses to write recommendation letters
- Register with the HPAC (Faculty group, Health Professions Advisory Committee)
- Join the ICPHS (Student group, Ithaca College Pre-Health Society)
- Explore research opportunities at Ithaca College
Summers:
- Explore opportunities for shadowing, volunteering, clinical exposure, and research.
Year Two:
- Continue with required coursework
- Continue obtaining recommendation letters from IC faculty
- Get involved with research if you're interested
Option 1: you want to go directly to graduate/professional school
Year Three:
- Finish required coursework
- In Spring semester, interview with the HPAC
- Finish obtaining recommendation letters from IC faculty
- Take standardized tests
- In late Spring / early Summer, submit your applications
Year Four:
- Finish coursework for your major and ICC
- Interviews at graduate/professional schools
Option 2: you plan on gap/bridge year(s) before graduate/professional school
Year Three:
- Continue with required coursework, clinical experiences, and research
- Continue obtaining recommendation letters from IC faculty
Year Four:
- Finish required coursework
- Finish obtaining recommendation letters from IC faculty
- Interview with the HPAC if you have not yet already
- Graduate from IC!
- Take standardized tests
- Submit your applications ~1.5 years before you want to start school again